The conference theme this year is “Crossing and Dwelling in Mormon History,” consistent with the role St. Louis played as the gateway to westward expansion in the 1800s, not only for some Mormons but for Americans in general.

A plethora of plenary and breakout sessions deal with the history of Mormonism in general and in the St. Louis area in particular.

For example, the opening plenary session by Tom Farmer of St. Louis and Fred Woods of Brigham Young University is titled “When the Saints Came Marching In: Mormon History in St. Louis (1831–2017).” A roundtable discussion will feature four scholars talking about the relatively recent Gospel Topics essays published online by the Church. Other subjects include:

Plural marriage in the early history of the Church

Insights from the Church Historian’s Press

Mormon historical theology

Women who joined the Mormon movement

Competing conceptions of authority in Mormon Nauvoo

Mormon colonialism in the West and Pacific

Representation of Utah women in the 1893 World’s Fair

Settling and unsettling Zion in Jackson County, Missouri

The evolution of the Church History Department (a lecture given by Elder Steven E. Snow, Church Historian and Recorder)

In keeping with custom, two pre-conference and two overnight post-conference bus tours will be held. The pre-conference events focus on Mormon and American history in St. Louis, each including a stop at the Gateway Arch, St. Louis's famous landmark. One post-conference tour features a trip to Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois. The other, led by BYU Church history professor Alex Baugh, includes highlights of Church history in western Missouri, including visits to Hawn’s Mill, Adam-ondi-Ahman, Far West, and Richmond and an overnight stay in Liberty.

The Mormon History Association is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the study of all aspects of Mormon history. Formed in 1965 under the leadership of Leonard J. Arrington, it has grown to include both Mormons and non-Mormons and professional historians and scholars as well as nonprofessional enthusiasts.

Membership in the association is not required to attend the conference.